A dozen communities with high rates of car crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists are getting federal funding for a new safety campaign.

“It’s really exciting that Massachusetts is doing this,” said Wendy Landman, executive director of WalkBoston, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving pedestrian conditions throughout the state.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is spending more than $461,000 in federal highway safety funds to launch a bicycle and pedestrian safety awareness and enforcement program. Police departments will use the funds to increase enforcement. Planning agencies and transportation officials will gather data from police citations and traffic stops to identify areas that need better protections for pedestrians and bicyclists. Those areas could be streets that have poor lighting or lack crosswalks.

Brockton, Cambridge, Fall River, Haverhill, Lynn, New Bedford, Newton, Pittsfield, Quincy, Salem, Somerville and Watertown will participate in the program’s first year. The Department of Transportation expects to add more communities in future years.

Transportation officials said they selected the initial participating communities based on their per-capita rates of car crashes involving bicycles or pedestrians, as well as the prevalence of pedestrian and bicycle traffic in each city or town.

“We have made safe travel regardless of transportation mode a priority, and we have work to do on many fronts,” Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey said in a statement. “We seek greater awareness among the traveling public to create a share-the-road approach and heightened enforcement of the rules of the road, and we must invest strategically in smart infrastructure choices that improve safety. This program will combine these efforts in coordination with our state, regional and local partners.”

Landman said WalkBoston and fellow nonprofit MassBike have been advocating for several years for the state to launch such a program. The two organizations plan to work with the state to develop a public awareness campaign and marketing materials.

MassDOT is working with regional planning agencies to distribute the funding and coordinate the project.

Gerry Tuoti is the Regional Newsbank Editor for GateHouse Media New England. Email him at gtuoti@tauntongazette.com or call him at 508-967-3137.